The Boss's Get The Cherries The Proles Get The Pits

 Britain to grant hundreds of new oil and gas licences, ignoring calls from environmentalists - The Globe and Mail..

The Life And Times Of Brian

Red Hibiscus

Unless you have just awakened from a hundred-year sleep or an interstellar journey you're aware of the Earth's changing climate. You're also aware of the role that carbon-based fuels play in global boiling. 

However, Britain's Prime Minister is ignoring all the science and has issued hundreds of new licences for oil and Gas exploration in the North Sea. As well his government is backing a new Coal Mine venture. You might well ask why he is doing this!

“We have all witnessed how Putin has manipulated and weaponized energy – disrupting supply and stalling growth in countries around the world,” Mr. Sunak said in a statement. “Now more than ever, it’s vital that we bolster our energy security and capitalize on that independence to deliver more affordable, clean energy to British homes and businesses.” (Kirka, 2023)

And this is where good old Catch 22 comes into play; we need to reduce our carbon emissions, but we have ever expanding populations that need an ever-expanding supply of carbon-based substances, which means we need more and more drilling and mining for the very things that are killing us.

The only true solution is to reduce demand for carbon-based products. This is not so easy to do. Worldwide culture is based on oil. From someone's make-up to exploring the universe everything runs on oil. 

It is absolutely possible though highly improbable that humanity can develop and implement a new base line culture that is not based on carbon fuels in the next five years. 

The other way to reduce consumption is to reduce demand. This can be done by decreasing the population quickly and dramatically or imposing Orwellian laws on who can use what. Neither method of reducing consumption is going to be a lot of fun for the Pols.

I believe the best we can hope for is a slow transition to a new base culture not dependent upon oil-based products. 

The most serious problem with this solution is that humanity will find itself with bloody Resource Wars and hundreds of millions of climate refugees. I seriously doubt that most humans, damn few wild animals and any wilderness at all will survive this transition.

In the words of the famous one: The Bosses are going to get the cherries and the Proles are going to get the pits. 

Brian